Xbox E3 Briefing 2019: Forget Scarlett, the future's already here - and it's Game Pass Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Xbox E3 Briefing 2019: Forget Scarlett, the future's already here - and it's Game Pass Subs bench. Feature by Christian Donlan Features Editor Updated on 10 Jun 2019 149 comments People hoped for a name at least. A date, perhaps? A box, even just a picture of a box - you can dream, right? In the end, Microsoft gave us a lot of talking heads - talking, in all fairness, about fairly specific things - but no box. They gave us a launch window rather than a date, and the whole thing's still at the "project" stage. Project Scarlett: Holidays 2020. Does it matter? Probably not as much as I initially thought. Just like it probably doesn't matter that most of the big games present on stage tonight were in trailer form with actual gameplay saved for another day. Some of the presentations were odd too: in the Halo Infinite trailer, Master Chief boldly walked across the length of a fairly small room, and took quite a while to do it. Some of them were joyous: having Keanu Reeves on stage for Cyberpunk 2077 is, in 2019, the closest E3 was going to get to an appearance from an actual deity. But none of these things mattered so much as the message that was always there in the background. A drum beat. Game Pass. Game Pass is an astonishingly good deal at the moment - and not just because, if you pick it up today, it will only cost you a pound. Loads of games ready to play on launch day - and now PC is joining in alongside the Xbox One. Trailer after trailer at the E3 presentation had the same message: playable on day one with Game Pass. Forza 4 Horizon with Lego. Gears 5. Halo Infinite. Seven new studios bought in the last year, and now Double Fine entering the fold. Microsoft is spending a fortune on games that it doesn't want you to actually buy. Or, to put it another way, those studios are making content for Game Pass, aiming to release on something that looks more like Netflix than it looks like the Xbox 360. Watch on YouTube (Actually there's more. Starting with a preview this October you'll be able to stream from your Xbox One. You'll have access to your Xbox library and - what's this? - Game Pass. Who needs Project Scarlett when you can eventually stream Halo Infinite straight from your telly?) By the end of the evening it was the subscription that felt like the true platform - it was the subscription that would be taking on Stadia, and that will presumably be the core that any new Xbox hardware is built around. After the conference ended, there was a slight feeling of disappointment in the office: no name for the new box, no firm date for the calendar. But the future, magically, is already here. It's a big idea, and it charges monthly. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More Features Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. 15 Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Feature What games get wrong about horses And what they could do about it. 34 Feature Shout out to all the Overwatch supports - where would we be without you? Merci. 55 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Sennheiser's legendary HD 599 open-back headphones are just £70 at Amazon in the Prime Early Access Sale Comfortable with neutral sound and a wide sound stage. Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. 1 Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store